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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chip · hide · patient · bat · kick · wind

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. bat — the animal
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. kick — in football
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. chip — to eat
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. chip — for betting
  18. kick — with a leg

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com